I'd make a new community website like I had in the past if I thought it'd do any good, but I feel everyone should (if they haven't already), look for other forums and communities to dedicate themselves to. There's always CG-Nation.com or animanon.com, which probably wouldn't mind getting a few new users. Or go with the big boys like CGTalk or Threedy, or if you move on to other software like Blender then go to their respective forums.

Well, I'm sad to see this happening, although I can't say I didn't expect it. The Anim8or community has been really great and helpful, and I hope that as you move to other programs (or continue to use Anim8or) you maintain that same spirit. Other free programs like Blender and Wings3D will be glad to have your support I'm sure, if you start using them.

Anim8or got me started in 3D and I'll always remember it for that. However most other programs have gone far beyond the level of Anim8or, and although they might be intimidating at first, they have some great communities too, and are definitely worth your time. Wings3D just released v1.4 two weeks ago, and Blender is nearing their release of 2.6, which is a big step forward for them. Both of these programs are open source, which means that, being the creative community you are, you will have a place to funnel all those ideas to, and you'll be able to be very involved with the development process. As Raxx has already stated, don't be afraid to move on.

I had the feeling that steve was re-writing the whole of anim8ors code ( which would probably take more than a couple of years to complete !) However if you run a forum community then as an administrator, you would need to be a little more active on the site.

I also think a lot of potential users have been lost due to the ongoing problems of running anim8or on Windows 7 it still refuses to work on a new laptop I have, despite new graphics driver upgrades adjusting setting etc.

With our own site Luckily, we are not confined to just anim8or, though it remains a core part of our support! We also support Carrara and Poser as part of an increasing toolset.

We gladly welcome any new Members to Animanon.com and you can be assured that we will keep anim8or in whatever format, ALIVE!

Unfortunately, I think you're right Raxx. I will continue to lurk on this site as long as it remains active, and post when appropriate. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Steve for Anim8or, it will remain an integral part of my 3D toolkit, as well as the site mods and admins for a job well done. Most of all, I would like to thank the entire Anim8or community for your positivity, respect, inspiration and enthusiasm, and in particular a small number of amazingly talented Anim8ors who will never know how much their work has impacted on me and driven me to achieve more. I hope to remain in contact with as many of you as possible through other forums (Fora? Forae? WTF is the plural of forum??), good luck and here's hoping that Raxx is wrong and Steve is in fact foxing us all, and is primed to release the magical V1.0 any day now!

It pains me to say I am afraid you guys might have a point. As Ensoniq said I hope we will be proved wrong.

Ive seen some great work coming from Anim8or users lately and am still proud of the program no matter what.

It will be hard for new users to get into the program now since there is no single forum where Anim8or users can get together if this forum is closed off for new participants. It will be a blow for the program and combining that with a lack of updates makes for a not so bright future for a program that is so close to all our hearts.

Ok, I can't say anything "big", but I'm just "learning" Anim8or and that's maybe the reason I'm not so productive. But all these about the others programs I don't think it's too correct . Ofcourse there are people here who are realy studing CG somewhere and they'll become professionals, but also the most just have it as hobby and I don't think it's so important for those people "to go for the best", they just have fun, you know. And as all said Anim8or is...A N I M 8 O R !!! Finaly,come on , the forum is not so dead

I have to agree. It's been a long time since I posted anything here, but I still drop in from time to time to see how the project is going.

It's very sad that Steve has abandoned the software. I don't think he's labouring away cooking up a new version because he'd have posted something by now in the forums - especially with the number of people who write in asking what's going on.

I learned CGI modelling on Anim8or and still think it's a very useful tool. You can use it from a pen-drive, run it on the lowest-powered computers, build a great deal of stuff with it. It's so frustrating to think that such a promising piece of software was just dropped by its author.

Steve, if by any chance you read this:

Please tell us if you are still working on Anim8or.

If not, are you willing to offer the source code to any coders who could take the project on?

You still have a lot of fans out here - you made a brilliant little program. If you don't want to do anything more on it, make it open source!

I cannot but agree with all that has been said already. Up to about a year ago this community was vibrant with creative Anim8or users and then it went slowly quiet until now when it's nearly dead but for a few committed members. It breaks my heart.

Through its ease of use Anim8or is the program that finally got me into 3D modeling and I will never "move on" to anything else, though I have several other programs, and that same reason will always keep attracting new users.

Not everyone is aiming for a job at Pixar and just having fun in creating something from scratch is what many hobbyists aim for. To all of them looking for an Anim8or only forum you are most welcome at 3d-anim8.com

I am not bowing out just yet, miracles do happen from time to time, and I hope to hear again from all members whose input I have appreciated over time.

I have to agree with the majority opinion, here. I "moved on" to LightWave years ago, and haven't done anything productive with Anim8or since then. But I have still been prowling the forum and occasionally try to provide helpful inputs and/or comments to new and seasoned users, alike.

For the most part, Anim8or has been a great tool to "get your feet wet" with 3D modeling and animation, if only for its simplicity. And there have been many users and contributors (both with scripts and supplemental programs) who managed to really stretch Anim8or's capabilities. So from that standpoint, the program has been very effective, and it obviously still has a lot of followers.

Most craftsmen have more than one tool in their toolbox, primarily because there is no such thing as "one tool does it all." Anim8or has served as one of those tools, and it may continue to do so even in its present state. But there are many other tools to explore and consider out there. Granted, some of those tools are expensive, and not nearly as easy to use as Anim8or. But that's the nature of the beast --- with more utility comes more complexity.

I'm not ready to leave the community yet either. But I would suggest that everyone consider Anim8or for what it truly is --- a stepping stone to something better.

I saw this thread and my heart skipped a bit..not at the message the thread seems to imply, but the inevitability of of this message..anim8or could be dead..

Time to move on?Perhaps..I for one use anim8or for all my 3d development..the temptation has been there to try out Blender or Sketchup or even Wings..but i always come back to anim8or.in truth, 3d modellers like me who dont really care much about cgi and all the other bells and whistles of 3d art would always find it hard calling it quits with anim8or.

I love this software to bits! when ever I get a new computer or laptop - its always the first software I install and start using right away! today is a sad day..anim8or is not dead..I will continue using anim8or, but the it seems this community is going away..and that's a shame..really.

Thank you Steve for a good work, your software has really made a big impact in my life..and I still hope..REALLY hope that something new turns up.

Generally with webhosting, to get the best prices you pay up to 5 years in advance, and domain names automatically renew in most cases. Considering the forum's performance, it seems like there needs to be a bit of maintenance done on the database, so likely there's no secret person maintaining the site.

I don't like to be such a spoiler all the time but I guess that's the realist in me bringing it out. Any kind of response from Steve would be a pleasant surprise. I've done everything short of calling his house though.

Perhaps, if everyone's interested, we could do a last collaboration between all the active members of the community, dedicated to Anim8or and using only Anim8or. Skill level doesn't matter in something like that so everyone's free to join. Let me know if you guys are interested...

I'm interested! I feel sad seeing how I'm still a new member, looking like I just got here right at the decline. I never got to use any other program, I even tried Blender and got infected by a flood of Trojans which is still a mystery of how that happened. After giving up on that, I looked at Anim8or and look at me now. For what little it has, i'm making the most if not more out of it. In fact, I had plans for movies. I had always said before coming here "If only I had a 3D program, I would SO make animated movies out of my books!". Even if it dies, I'm still keeping Anim8or. maybe if I can learn and get the hang of scripting I can do even more.